Shipwreck between Kinshasa and Brazzaville kills five people

At least five people have died and several others are missing after a speedboat linking Brazzaville and Kinshasa on the Congo River capsized, according to reports.

The boat, carrying 16 passengers, had left Brazzaville around 09:00 (+1 GMT) bound for Kinshasa, capital of the Democratic Republic of Congo, just across the river.

The provisional death toll stands at five, including four DRC nationals a nun, two children and a man as well as a passenger from Brazzaville, Armand Osase, commercial director of the Office national des transports (ONATRA) said.

According to him, the canoe, belonging to a Brazzaville-based company, capsized on the Congolese side of the river, even though it was rescue workers from Kinshasa who took charge of the survivors.

The accident occurred after the boat hit a floating log, severely damaging its engine, he added.

Images show passengers floating on lifebuoys, while a tearful woman mourns the loss of a loved one.

At 4,700 kilometers long, the Congo River is the second longest in Africa after the Nile, and the second longest in the world after the Amazon in terms of flow. It is a vital axis for the DRC’s economy, facilitating the transport of goods and people across a region where roads are poorly developed.